Education
Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocates
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer After a more than eight-year slog, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed what the Pennsylvania Constitution has said all…
Read More: Commonwealth Court ruling is a massive win for education choice advocatesEducation is the first stepping-stone on the path to success, but Pennsylvania students face severe inequality among public school districts. Thousands who can’t afford private school are trapped in failing schools or situations that aren’t the right fit. The solution to this crisis is school choice. By offering families options outside their zip code-assigned district schools, students are better able to find their path to success. Charter schools, tax credit scholarships, education savings accounts (ESAs), homeschooling, and other types of education choice must become a priority in Pennsylvania.
Related Issues
Education
Myths about Public Education
Here is short article summarizing a few of the debunked myths about public education spending: National Center for Policy Analysis – Five Myths About Education. For those still looking…
Media
Read More: Myths about Public EducationEducation
Court Bans Mention of Intelligent Design
The Dover Schools case has reached a conclusion: Judge bars the school district from mentioning ‘intelligent design.’ The lesson to take from this sage is that government run schools…
Media
Read More: Court Bans Mention of Intelligent DesignEducation
The public school monopoly hates competition
It was always only a matter of when, not if, the defenders of the status quo in public education would seek to hamstring their competition. First, no charter school…
Media
Read More: The public school monopoly hates competitionEducation
Striking teachers strike again…and again…and again…
Students in the northeast PA school district of Crestwood may be getting a few more days off, thanks to the PSEA labor unions efforts to raise taxes on homeowners…
Media
Read More: Striking teachers strike again…and again…and again…Education
Universal preschool is inviting universal disaster
SF Chronicle article – Universal preschool is inviting universal disaster. Advocates of universal pre-school in Pennsylvania would do well to heed this warning.
Media
Read More: Universal preschool is inviting universal disasterEducation
Is the NEA Really a NUT?
Is the NEA really a NUT? By asking, I’m not casting aspersions on the National Education Association’s sanity, just on its choice of name. The NEA’s British counterpart really is…
Commentary
Read More: Is the NEA Really a NUT?Education
Throwing a Party for the Educational Status Quo
The National Education Association recently concluded its annual convention in Los Angeles, gathering 8,000 delegates in celebration of the status quo in public education. When attendees weren’t offering a vigorous…
Commentary
Read More: Throwing a Party for the Educational Status QuoEducation
The Union Behind the Curtain
California’s Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving his 49 colleagues across the country a quick tutorial in political courage. And Gov. Ed Rendell would be wise to sit up in class…
Commentary
Read More: The Union Behind the CurtainEducation
School Choice Works!
A Quick Guide to the Scholarly Literature on School Choice During a recent round of visits with print journalists, I spoke to a newspaper editor who told me that she…
Commentary
Read More: School Choice Works!Education
The Somerset Nine: Pennsylvanias Magnificent Seven
What does it take for school board members to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money? For the nine members of the Somerset Area School District (SASD) board of directors, the…
Commentary
Read More: The Somerset Nine: Pennsylvanias Magnificent SevenEducation
Union Propaganda Can’t Hide Charter Schools’ Success
There they go again. Back in July 2002, during a slow news period, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a school employee labor union, issued a widely cited report "showing"…
Commentary
Read More: Union Propaganda Can’t Hide Charter Schools’ SuccessEducation
How to Increase Teacher Pay
Few people will disagree that the best school teachers are often paid less than they deserve. But even fewer people agree when it comes to figuring out what to do…
Commentary
Read More: How to Increase Teacher PayEducation
Pennsylvania Needs School Board Rent Control
Pennsylvanians are once again being reminded this spring that they never actually own their homes; they only “rent” them from their local school board. As school districts across the commonwealth…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania Needs School Board Rent ControlEducation
Referendum: School Taxes
Pennsylvania homeowners lack the right to vote on school property tax increases, while citizens in 44 other states enjoy some form of taxpayer protection. As Pennsylvania legislators debate whether or…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Referendum: School TaxesEducation
The Fight for Educational Freedom
Matthew J. Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation, delivered the following remarks at The Heritage Foundation's Resource Bank dinner in Chicago on May 29, 2004, in honor of Virginia Walden-Ford,…
Commentary
Read More: The Fight for Educational FreedomEducation
Set Our Teachers Free!
Remarks of Matthew J. Brouillette, President & CEO, The Commonwealth Foundation I'm Matthew Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation. Prior to moving into the world of public policy, I…
Commentary
Read More: Set Our Teachers Free!Education
Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special Education
If you are an African-American or Hispanic male in a predominantly White public school in Pennsylvania, there's a good chance you have been labeled as "Learning Disabled." That is the…
Commentary
Read More: Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special EducationEducation
Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special Education
Executive Summary…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Racial Bias in Pennsylvania Special EducationEducation
Quantity Counts 2004
What do you do when you want more money and you already boast the 3rd highest per-pupil revenue in the nation and the highest teacher salaries in the country, when…
Commentary
Read More: Quantity Counts 2004Education
Pennsylvanias Education Funding Gap
Executive Summary…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvanias Education Funding GapEducation
Should Pennsylvania Consolidate Its School Districts?
Rep. Victor Lescovitz (D-Beaver) wants to consolidate Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts into 67 districts or fewer, in an effort to reduce costs. While a few states are going in the…
Commentary
Read More: Should Pennsylvania Consolidate Its School Districts?